Favell Lee Mortimer's 1848 retelling of the raising of Jairus's daughter opens with a blunt question: 'Did you ever see a person who was dead?' The author immediately grounds the miraculous in the physical—no breath, no colour, cold and stiff—before explaining that the soul leaves the body. This concrete, almost clinical description of death sets up the central tension: human powerlessness versus divine intervention. Mortimer, known for her 'Peep of Day' series, writes in short, declarative sentences that mimic a patient adult explaining to a child. She does not assume belief; instead, she builds a case for Jesus's identity as the Son of God by linking his miracles to his character: 'if he had been a wicked man he could not have made dead people alive again.'

Direct Address and the Child Reader

Mortimer consistently uses 'you' and 'your own brothers or sisters,' pulling the child reader into the narrative. The opening paragraph asks a personal question about witnessing death, then immediately pivots to the universal experience of losing breath and colour. This technique makes the miraculous story feel immediate and relevant. The author also supplies details a child would care about: the girl's age (twelve), the father's love ('he loved his little girl very much'), and the fact that her name is not recorded ('I do not know the name of his little girl'). By admitting ignorance, Mortimer models honesty and focuses attention on what matters—the miracle itself.

The Crowd, the Mockers, and the Few

A recurring pattern in the excerpt is the contrast between the noisy, skeptical crowd and the small group of believers. Jesus 'was pressed on every side' by the crowd, yet he allows only five people into the room: the parents and three disciples. The mourners who 'weep and cry out with loud voices' laugh at Jesus when he says the girl sleeps. Mortimer emphasizes their mockery ('they began to laugh at him, for they knew the child was dead') to highlight the divide between human knowledge and divine power. The author then explains Jesus's metaphor: 'Her death was like sleep.' This tension between outward appearance and spiritual reality runs through the narrative.

Structure as Instruction

Mortimer organizes the story as a series of logical steps: death is defined, Jesus's power is established, the request is made, the delay occurs, the mockers are dismissed, and the miracle happens. Each step is introduced with a short paragraph that builds on the previous one. The author also inserts doctrinal explanations—'The soul can never die, but the body is only made of dust'—directly into the narrative. This structure mirrors a catechism or lesson, reinforcing the theological point that Jesus's miracles prove his divine sonship. The repetition of 'he was not only a man, he was God too' serves as a refrain that anchors the miraculous event in Christian doctrine.

Mortimer's narrative invites careful attention to its rhetorical strategies: the use of direct address, the deliberate pacing, and the contrast between the noisy crowd and the quiet room. Readers may notice how the author balances physical detail with spiritual explanation, never letting the miraculous become abstract. The story's brevity—just over 4,000 words—belies its layered approach to teaching belief through narrative. Consider how Mortimer's choices shape a child's understanding of death, doubt, and divine power.